Frozen half shell oysters started becoming popular in 2001, 2002. They do not spoil and require no shuckers at restaurants to open. Traditionally, to produce frozen half shell oysters each live oyster must be opened one at a time (shucked) by hand, using many workers with sharp knifes or grinders. This is a very labor intense process, having to use skilled workers and is expensive. Once the oysters are opened on the half shell they are quick frozen using small co2 or nitrogen tunnel freezers. Then they are sold to restaurants and food establishments for easy to eat half shell oysters. The inventors have also identified a problem with conventional frozen oyster processing methods, i.e., that the frozen oysters are often not presentable. The shucking and freezing process causes tears in the oyster flesh and also the oyster sits crooked with respect to the shell. Also, the oysters tend to loose their natural juice in conventional processing methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,037,237 issued on Jun. 5, 1963, to Lapeyre et al. teaches in a machine for shucking oysters, a rotary tumbling drum adapted to receive oysters at one end and having veins therein for lifting the oysters and dropping the same at a high portion of the drum incident to its rotation, and an anvil mounted within the drum but non-rotary with respect to the drum and located to receive the impact of the dropped oysters, the anvil composed of two downwardly divergent plates from a central narrow ridge. The inventors have identified that the process in the '151 patent results in damage to the oyster flesh making the oysters unappetizing to the eye of the consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,180 issued on Sep. 20, 1971, to Harris et al. teaches an invention that pertains to shucking fresh bivalves and it encompasses both an apparatus and method which removes rapidly, and without damage, the edible portion of the bivalve. The invention consists of removing a portion of the shells of the bivalve (preferably after some of the fluids contained in the bivalve cavity have been eliminated particularly in the case of oysters), thereafter severing muscles of the bivalve which connect the meat to the shells, and finally separating the meat and the shells, and the apparatus for accomplishing the foregoing operation. The invention pertains to bivalves in general but is especially useful in the shucking of oysters and clams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,151 issued on Oct. 22, 1991, to Kiczek teaches a method and apparatus for opening a mollusk (e.g., oyster) by rapidly cooling the mollusk to a surface temperature of about −100.degree. F. followed by mechanically agitating the mollusk whereby the mollusk shell opens and at least one eye of the mollusk meat is detached from the shell. Subsequent to cooling and prior to agitating, the mollusk can be rapidly immersed in a water bath to raise the surface temperature of the mollusk to no more than about −50.degree. F. Individually quick frozen mollusk meat can be prepared rapidly either as an individual portion of meat or on the half shell. The inventors have identified that the process in the '151 patent results in damage to the oyster flesh making the oysters unappetizing to the eye of the consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,343 issued on Nov. 7, 2000, to Wilson teaches a process and device for reducing the harmful affects of bacterial contamination in seafood products via freezing the seafood products and maintaining them in cold storage. The process and device features an ice glazing step in which the raw product is sealed in a thin layer of ice. This layer of ice serves to preserve the raw product's original taste during the cold storage.
It is apparent now that different ways of shucking oysters are present in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. However, the aforementioned references do not disclose the elements of the embodiments of the present invention and fail to contemplate the unique and advantageous aspects of various embodiments of the invention.